After almost a year of furious lobbying and jockeying for position, Google earned the right to provide e-mail services for the city of Los Angeles. Microsoft had mounted the fiercest competition, but the city now plans to turn over its e-mail operations to Google by June 2010.

The story, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, reminded me of my own frustrating experiences with an amateurish e-mail system.

When I enrolled at Michigan State University several years ago, I was given a personal e-mail account where all my communications from the school would be sent. It didn’t take long to realize – even though this was waaaay back in 2006 – that the MSU e-mail program was a joke. It lacked a chat feature. It complicated folder organization to the point of frustration. It boasted a spam filter that was about as water-tight as a colander. (more…)

www.iePlexus.com announces launch of buyPlexus.com, a Web 2.0 online shopping network designed for users to easily connect and explore businesses, products and services.

Lynnwood, WA (PRESS RELEASE) August 18, 2008 — Social media marketing company iePlexus.com today announced the official launch of buyPlexus.com, a new Web 2.0 shopping network and online directory developed specifically to enable users to find detailed information on a variety of businesses, their products and services. The buyPlexus.com website allows both consumers and merchants the ability to post, search and discover business listings, classified advertisements, articles and coupons all in one location.
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Think a press release is an outdated, “old media” approach to marketing? Think again.

There’s countless studies and articles highlighting the benefits of a press release for online businesses. From generating traffic, inbound links and business or product buzz, to getting positive press and top billing on search results, the new online marketing standards certainly include press releases as a vital and important component for better exposure. But it isn’t as simple as writing a release and sending it off; there are many factors when it comes to effectively using a press release to market your business. Here’s some things to consider to ensure you’re getting the most out of a press release and why you should have done one yesterday:
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